SB Nation Denver: All Posts by Greg Wissinger

Greg's Season Review: Brooklyn Nets

2013-05-24T13:37:21Z

[Before the 21012-13 NBA season began, before Sactown Royalty became overrun with covering negotiations, I previewed all 30 NBA teams and how I thought their season would go. But as much fun as it is to preview a season, it's also fun to look back and see what actually happened. And since Kings fans were pretty distracted by off-court events, these will also serve as a reintroduction to what we missed while we watched committee meetings.]

What I said:

The Nets arrive in Brooklyn with incredible buzz, and it seems inconceivable that they will miss the playoffs, especially in the East. But the Nets may not live up to the hype. Even though several Nets players, including Deron, have acknowledged that the team was checked out in the second half of last season, this team was still awful last year. A healthy Lopez should help. A full season of Wallace will help. Joe Johnson will absolutely help. But now the Nets need to deliver. They've created the buzz, built a respectable and exciting roster, and delivered on every promise they made. Now they need to deliver on the court and redefine what it means to be watching Nets Basketball.

What happened:

The Brooklyn Nets delivered on their preseason promise. We expected them to make the playoffs, but we didn’t exactly expect them to be title contenders. But that isn’t to say there weren’t some disappointments along the way. Gerald Wallace struggled mightily to find his role in the offense, and went through a prolonged period where he admitted he’d entirely lost confidence in his shot. As Wallace’s age is taking its toll on his athleticism, Wallace’s shot becomes more critical than ever. Kris Humphries was also a disappointment. I scoffed when the Nets gave Humphries a 2-year contract worth $12 million per year, but even I didn’t expect Humphries to be as underwhelming as he was. Humphries eventually saw himself become an afterthought on the bench. It’s truly a terrible signing, salvaged only by the fact that Billy King contained himself to a two year contract. The Nets will hope to find a team looking for a large expiring contract sometime next season.

The disappointment of Humphries was offset by two other very smart moves the Nets made. Reggie Evans, for all his faults, proved to be a better option in the starting line-up on a far smaller contract. Still, even at his best, Evans is a very limited player and isn’t a long-term solution for the franchise. The Nets also turned some heads this past offseason when they signed the oft-maligned Andray Blatche. Blatche was always a very talented player, but had become a punchline with the Washington Wizards. For the Nets, though, the gamble paid off. Blatche played very well in spurts, and it will be interesting to see what kind of contract he’s earned himself as he enters free agency. It seems like the Nets would like to bring him back if the price is right, but they’ve limited their flexibility entering the offseason.

Deron Williams chose to stay, but then failed to look like the franchise star he was supposed to be for much of the season. Whether it was an issue of conditioning, injury, or some combination of the two, Deron did not look like the guy we all expected him to be. Late in the season he finally turned it on and had a brilliant spell for the final month or two. If he can play like that consistently, the Nets will be regular staples in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But perhaps the biggest key to this season’s success was Brook Lopez. Lopez battled injuries most of last season, and spent his time watching the Nets do everything they could to acquire Dwight Howard. When the Nets came down to the wire and risked losing Lopez outright, they bit the bullet, gave up on Dwight, and gave Lopez a monstrous contract that was heavily scrutinized. Lopez showed up as though nothing had happened and had a great season, re-establishing his reputation as one of the best offensive big men in the game. Perhaps more importantly, Lopez stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. While he may never be an elite defender, Lopez showed that he could at least be an average defender as opposed to the defensive sieve he was when he entered the league. In the coming seasons, Lopez could establish himself as the most critical player to Brooklyn’s success. Given what happened last season in his absence, some would say he’s already proven to be the critical piece.

Now that the Nets have delivered on their promise of immediate improvement and an immediate playoff berth, the Nets will now face an uphill battle towards trying to become legitimate contenders. In the playoffs the Nets were dispatched by a severely depleted Bulls team that simply outplayed and out-hustled the Nets. Brooklyn’s players looked lethargic and ready for the season to end. It was a disgrace. The contracts of Deron, Lopez, Joe Johnson, Wallace and Humphries will presumably prevent the team from making any major moves this offseason to improve the team. They’ll have a new coach next season, but you have to wonder just how much farther a new coach can take this roster. The Nets delivered on their first promise, now they have to figure out how to live with the consequences.

Greg's Season Review: Boston Celtics

2013-05-13T20:54:16Z

What I said:

The Celtics will be a playoff team yet again barring significant injuries to Rondo, Garnett, or Paul Pierce. I don't believe they'll be legitimate contenders for the crown, but Rivers knows how to coach this team to do just enough to get to the playoffs, get healthy, and then wreck havoc. Although Boston seems unable to overcome the Heat, you just know that Miami dreads any series against the Celtics. Boston always has a puncher's chance.

What happened:

The Celtics were a playoff team yet again despite a significant injury to Rajon Rondo. What the hell, Celtics.

When Rondo tore his ACL in late January, the Celtics had been struggling. Even in the weak Eastern Conference, it seemed the Celtics might be in danger of missing the playoffs. When Rondo went down, many assumed it was the final straw. Surely, the Celtics would completely fall apart.

Instead, the Celtics surged. They won 13 of their next 17 games. The dug deeper at a time when everyone assumed they would give in. It was impressive. And still nobody outside of Boston gave the Celtics much of a chance in the playoffs.

The Celtics ended up a 7 seed in the East, facing the surging New York Knicks. It was supposed to be a quick and easy dispatch for the Knicks. The Celtics were banged up, Jason Terry was awful, there was no Rondo, there was no depth. But the Celtics fought anyway. Forcing the series to 6 games. The Celtics continued to fight every step of the way throughout a season in which there was every reason to give up. A let down for those hoping the Celtics had one more playoff run in them, but impressive to anyone who was paying attention.

Entering the offseason there's a lot of uncertainty. It's unclear whether or not Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have played their last games as Celtics. Will they retire? Will they be traded? Nobody knows for sure. If I had to guess, I'd say they stick around and make another run at it next season. It makes no sense at all, but it would be in line with everything else the Celtics did this year.

Likely Scenarios

2013-05-13T15:03:02Z

There are a lot of different scenarios being tossed around right now. Mostly this is because the Maloofs are nitwits of the highest order who generally enjoy farting at common sense while they do doughnuts in the parking lot of their latest idiotic business venture. And also because we're being forced to wait for this to all come to a mercifully final solution. But wait, what if this isn't final? What if the Maloofs simply refuse to sell and remain the owners of the team in Sacramento? I keep seeing this scenario being tossed around, so let's explore it, shall we?

The Proposed Scenario:

David Stern (visibly annoyed), addressing the BOG: Thank you gentlemen for participating in this asinine exercise. You have voted to reject the relocation bid. The team shall not be granted permission to move to Seattle.

Maloofs: We still want to sell!

Stern: Really guys? You're really going to make us do this?

Maloofs: We have a binding agreement!

*A few moments later*

Stern: Ok, the sale agreement has been denied by the NBA Board of Governors. Chris Hansen et al are denied their bid to purchase the majority stake of the Kings.

Hansen: We want to buy 20%!

Stern, with a deep sigh: Really, Chris? You're really going to make us do this? This is what you want?

Hansen: Yes! Good faith efforts and all that!

*A few moments later*

Stern: Ok, the Board of Governors has rejected your bid for 20%. We're done with this. Chris, please leave the room. Now, boys, there is $341 million in an escrow account. That money is all yours if you sign on this piece of paper. It's either that or you return to a team that will never again be valued this high, will never have a bidding war, and will be lucky to draw 8,000 people per game. The salary floor is rising, so you'll have to continue to spend. You won't be able to cut salary. So you can do that, or you can sign this paper and get $341 million. What would you like to do?

Maloofs, while setting fire to the contents of a small trashcan and running out of the room: "WE'RE GONNA OWN THIS TEAM FOREVERRRRRRR!"

End Scenario

Yeah, no, I totally see why everyone thinks that's likely. I'm sure that's something we should be worried about. Sure.

Chad Ford's Mock Draft 2.0 has Kings selecting Anthony Bennett

2013-05-08T19:05:36Z

Projecting what the Sacramento Kings will do in this year's NBA draft is a difficult exercise, at best. With remaining uncertainty over who exactly will make the draft selection, mock draft pundits will basically be throwing out their best guesses this year. That's no knock on them, it's just the truth of the situation. So take it with a grain of salt, but in his latest mock draft, ESPN's Chad Ford projects the Kings to take Anthony Bennett from UNLV.

Ford writes (Insider):

Analysis: The team is in flux right now as the NBA works out who is going to own the team and where it will be located. So any real inside information is pretty hard to come by. The team's biggest need probably is at small forward. However, adding a shoot-first player like Muhammad seems like a disaster waiting to happen, as much of the Kings' roster is populated by similar players.

Enter Bennett. While he also has a tendency to let it fly, there's an upside there that Muhammad lacks. Tuesday's news that Bennett will have rotator cuff surgery, which could keep him out up to four months, might give the Kings second thoughts about drafting him this high. But overall, I think Bennett's the best talent at this point in the draft.

Ford's mock draft promises to change many times between now and the draft for most teams, not just for the Kings. But the outlook for Sacramento, who the Kings should draft, what the roster needs are, is so dependent on factors that are currently unknown that there's likely little anyone can project other than Best Player Available.

For what it's worth, Otto Porter (the early favorite around StR message boards), is projected to be selected third overall.

Greg's Season Review: Toronto Raptors

2013-05-07T22:30:56Z

What I said:

All in all, Toronto has a deep if not flashy roster, and I think they could really surprise people. A lot of that depends on Lowry, and if he can return to form from early last season. The long term importance of Lowry is only second to the long term importance of Jonas. While Lowry should be Toronto's best player, the Raptors need Jonas to live up to the lofty expectations already being placed on him. After years of being mismanaged and drafting poorly, the Raptors finally seem to be coming together. They can't afford to have that derailed by Jonas being a bust.

What happened:

The biggest story of the year for the Toronto Raptors was the midseason acquisition of Rudy Gay. It was surprising at the time, and is no less surprising in retrospect. Gay, while a big name, has never lived up his massive contract. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo seemed to acquire Gay with no regard for how he fit into the roster, as he's a very similar player to DeMar DeRozan. Gay arrived to much fanfare and a couple scoring outbursts, but wasn't enough to change turn the season around for Toronto.

Kyle Lowry, who I predicted to be a key component of Toronto's success, showed up to camp out of shape and clashed with head coach Dwane Casey. After his clashes with Kevin McHale while with the Houston Rockets, it's beginning to look like the problem might simply be with Lowry. Lowry was actually benched for a spell in favor of Jose Calderon before Calderon was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons.

I also predicted that Jonas Valanciunas would be key for the Raptors long-term, but I was uncertain how he would fare in his rookie year. He looked better than I expected when he played, but missed a little over a month to injuries. He'll certainly be a nice piece long-term, and should be a key piece of Toronto's future. I say "should" because Toronto showed us that you can never be sure as long as Colangelo remains at the helm. As I write this, Colangelo's future with the team remains in limbo. There's a team option for next season, and it hasn't been made clear yet if the team intends to pick it up.

A few other nice surprises did come around during the season, though. Rookie Terrence Ross looked good in limited minutes, and shows potential to develop into a nice piece for the Raptors. Ed Davis was a nice early season surprise before ultimately being shipped to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the package for Gay. And Amir Johnson had a breakout season. If it wasn't for the Rudy Gay trade, Toronto would actually be really well positioned for next year. But again, because of that perplexing trade, Toronto has two wings that are volume scorers and are taking a huge chunk of their salary cap. I'm personally of the opinion that Toronto should let Colangelo go. But as it stands, Toronto should threaten to make the playoffs next season as an 8 seed, or at least one would hope.

Greg's Season Review: Philadelphia 76ers

2013-05-07T19:03:49Z

What I said:

This season will be defined by Bynum. It will be defined by his time on the court and his time in a suit on the sidelines. It will be defined by how he produces when he plays. And it will be defined by what the 76ers organization does with Bynum long term. If Bynum works out, Philly will be the team nobody wants to face in the first round of the playoffs. If Bynum is a bust this season, the trade will be unfairly doubted and torn to shreds.

What happened:

Well, I kind of nailed that part of the preview. But after that I went on to predict that Andrew Bynum would eventually play enough to keep the 76ers in the playoffs. As we all know, the Bynum circus never stopped and Bynum never played. And it truly was the story of the season for the Sixers. But then again it was destined to be this way. If Bynum had played most of the season, he still would've been the story. Having not played a minute, he's the story. And he'll continue to be the big story as we head into this offseason. Bynum enters free agency as an even bigger mystery than before. Will he ever be healthy? Will he be able to come back at the same level as when he played for the Lakers? What kind of contract is Bynum worth? The Sixers are in a difficult position.

I'll be surprised if a team throws a max contract a Bynum this offseason, but I won't be the least bit surprised if he gets near max money. I could definitely see someone like Mark Cuban giving Bynum a two year offer. Maybe the second year will even be a player option. I don't know, but itt will be interesting to see where the market places his value.

And now in this review, as it was during the season, the team on the floor is an afterthought to Bynum. The biggest on-court development for the Sixers was the continued growth of Jrue Holiday. I've liked Holiday for a while, but it seems like he's struggled to be consistent. In my preview I noted that he was coming off a career-worst season for assists. But he's 22 years old, just put together the best season of his career, and was named to his first All-Star appearance. He set career-highs for points and assists both on a per game and a per minute basis. No matter what happens with Bynum, Holiday is the silver lining. Either the Sixers will pair a 22-year-old All Star point guard with Bynum, or the Sixers will be in rebuilding mode with a 22-year-old All Star point guard as their centerpiece. Either way, the Sixers will be better off than quite a few rebuilding teams.

In addition to roster moves, the offseason will see a coaching search as Doug Collins has been shown the door. The franchise's coaching choice could tell us a lot about the front office's future plans for the roster. Or they could hire an ambiguous retread that tells us nothing. Sadly, that seems like the more Sixers way to handle this.

While the current situation is far from what anyone in Philadelphia expected, there are two very different but two very clear directions that Philadelphia can go from here. No matter which way they go they'll be second guessed. The trade to acquire Bynum will be second guessed. But I still contend it was a smart gamble. It could still pay off. And if it doesn't, I think Philly will still find itself in a preferable position over standing pat with the team they had in place before the trade.

Vivek & Co put 50% of Kings purchase price into escrow, per report

2013-05-03T22:06:30Z

The ownership group seeking to purchase the Sacramento Kings, led by Vivek Ranadivé, has placed 50% of the purchase price of the Kings into an escrow account, according to reports. Following Monday's news that the NBA relocation committee recommended against relocating to Seattle, it was widely reported that Vivek & Co would place this deposit.

Source says @vivek & partners put 50% of #NBAKings purchase price in escrow today, as expected.
— Dale Kasler (@dakasler) May 3, 2013

Dale Kasler was the first to report that the deposit had been placed, with multiple outlets confirming the report.

I have confirmed the Sacramento ownership group @vivek did in fact put 50% of #NBAKings purchase price in an escrow account today.
— Bryan May (@BMayNews10) May 3, 2013

Sources confirm @dakasler's report that @vivek's ownership group dropped the 50 percent deposit into escrow.
— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) May 3, 2013

As we've seen in this saga, a deposit is no guarantee of anything, but it is another step forward in the process. There have been no public reports of negotiations between the Sacramento group and the Maloofs.

However, on Friday's Cowbell Kingdom podcast, Jonathan Santiago said he'd spoken with Mark Mastrov at Thursday's Warriors/Nuggets game. When asked if there had been any negotiations, Mastrov paused, smirked, and said "no comment", according to Santiago.

We'll keep you updated as we continue to move towards May 15th.

Why I don't blame Chris Hansen for continuing to fight

2013-05-03T16:17:29Z

While we're waiting for the final vote on May 15th, it seems all but certain that the Kings will remain in Sacramento. Chris Hansen has vowed to continue to fight. We may disagree with his approach, and it would certainly be easier for all of us if he simply bowed out, but I don't blame him for continuing to fight for Seattle. Think about it.

"It's all but a formality at this point."

"Just give up, there's nothing you can do at this point."

"Bow out gracefully."

Those are the same things Kings fans were told in January. It was reported that the approval to relocate to Seattle was a formality. We were told that there was nothing we could do. We were told that we should just accept our fate. But we didn't. We fought. Sacramento fought. And Sacramento turned the tables.

So I don't blame Chris Hansen one bit for continuing to fight. If Monday's recommendation had gone the other way, I don't imagine KJ would've said "Welp, we tried! See you guys later." Hell no. He would have continued fighting right up until the end. And that's what Chris Hansen is doing.

I disagree with his tactics. I don't think it's wise to get ugly with the very club you're attempting to join. But who am I to tell him what tactic to take? Chris Hansen has achieved far, far more in his life than I have. He's a successful businessman. I'm an armchair quarterback.

I don't think Hansen will succeed. Not at this point. I'd love it if he bowed out gracefully and began working with the NBA to convince them of the merits of expansion. But that's because it would make me less nervous. Because I've seen how this narrative can flip. I've seen what can be accomplished by someone who doesn't give up.

I disagree with the approach, but applaud Hansen's commitment. I remain optimistic, but I remain cautiously optimistic. I'll certainly rest a lot easier come May 15th. Laugh him off at your own risk. I'll continue to watch Hansen's every move with a wary eye.